Dear Santa

By Deborah Johnson, Master Gardener

When I was young, I loved to write my letter to Santa.  I spent weeks dreaming about what I  wanted to find under the tree on Christmas morning.  Now, as a gardener, I find myself daydreaming about next year’s garden and what Santa could bring me to help my garden flourish or me have more fun.  “Santa” loosely meaning my sweet husband who gets a deer-in-the-headlights look around the holidays when it’s time to shop for me.  

Here are some inexpensive ideas for your letter to your “Santa” or anyone in your life who will be shopping for you for your holidays.  

Organization   A roll of twine in your Christmas stocking can be used to help you get organized.  If you’re drying herbs here’s a fun rustic look.  Take an approx. 2’ thin-ish branch (or copper pipe), tie twine to each end (about 3 times as long as the branch) to create a triangle.  Tie your clusters of herbs upside down along the branch and hang it in a warm, dry location.

Use 1-2” wide strips of grosgrain ribbon, tack them vertically up in a dry location and clothespin your seed envelopes to the ribbons.  You can even label each ribbon by the month the seeds need to be planted. 

Since I’m a relatively new Yakima Valley gardener, I’m tracking my gardens.  In my first year, Santa brought me a notebook to help me organize all my plants and veggies.  He knew that since I can’t always remember where my car keys are I would probably not be able to track the varying needs of dozens of plants!  Santa gave me a mixed media spiral bound notebook with thick pages.  Opened flat, on one side I drew each section of the beds and the other side, notes on pruning, over wintering, fertilizing, pollinators, companion planting, etc.  Then every year I add or amend information.

Whimsy  If you’ve been very good, you won’t get a lump of coal in your stocking.  But ask Santa for a brick or bricks.  Decorated with permanent markers they are fun identifiers in your beds.  I had my family personalize bricks and we edged the patio with them.  Permanent markers – black, white and colors – will be about $1 each.  Bricks are less than $1 at the big box home improvement stores.

Painting rocks is a fun activity if you have kids or grandkids.  Creating frogs or ladybugs or colorful artifacts adds whimsy to your garden.  Spray urethane will protect your artwork.

Pollinators. Tell Santa you want to support the pollinators in your garden.  A shallow dish or bowl (check out thrift stores) gives them a welcoming watering hole.  To make sure they do not drown in deep water, put rocks, pebbles or marbles in the bottom.  You can get marbles at home decorating or framing stores, usually for under $5.

Paper straws make great – and easy-to-make – houses for bees.  Here’s one source where you can download the pdf plan.  But you can do an easy internet search and find plans for more sophisticated bee houses.  

Miscellaneous.  I’m one of those people who loves to get my hands in the dirt.  No gloves for me!  That means my hands take a beating.  If that’s you too, ask Santa for heavy duty hand cream in a tube.  I tuck it in the pocket of my gardening apron so it’s there when I wash my hands as I come into the house.  My sister raised goats, and she taught me Bag Balm is also great for hands.  And you can recycle the green tin it comes in for saving any precious little things you don’t want lost or misplaced.  

If your life can sometimes be a little frantic, how about growing a little tranquility?  Tell Santa you want the following: an empty egg carton, potting soil, and starts or seeds for chamomile (calming), holy basil (reduces stress), lavender (relaxing sleep), peppermint (cooling and energizing), wild bergamot (soothing), and sage (memory and focus).  Plant them in the egg carton.  Nurture them.  Let them nurture you.  Transplant them outdoors when the weather is nice.  Ahhh! 

If Santa is too busy to shop for you, he can shop online.  How about a membership in the Yakima Area Arboretum?  Or the Xerces Society, which has a pollinator conservation program.  Santa can even shop online at their gift center.  You can probably tell that I’m particularly enamored of pollinators.  I remember the very first hummingbird I saw in my Heritage Garden!  So, here’s one more place Santa can look: Pollinator Partnership.  Whatever your affinity, there is probably an organization you can support which will also be a source of information and inspiration.  

Happy holidays and joyous gardening.